We headed out on our boat this morning for a three hour manatee tour. I asked about alligators and they assured me they don’t usually make an appearance. I asked for clarification of the word “usually.” Regardless I was determined to not let fear get in the way of me getting a chance to hang out with these giant love bugs. 

  Panicking in water is a very real thing for me. I have only snorkeled a few times in Hawaii and I have to say I didn’t really enjoy it.  My first snorkeling experience was on our honey moon in Maui thirty years ago. I put on a mask and fins and followed Jimmie out to see what we could find. Every colorful fish or creature would lure Jimmie a little further with me following closely behind. I did not want to be left behind. When I finally pulled my head out of the water we were what felt to me like miles from land. I panicked, started crying and never wanted to snorkel again. That was the beginning of my thirty years of me following Jimmie anywhere. 

  The fact that this wasn’t ocean water where I could get separated helped me feel better, that and sheer determination. The water was clear and shallow. It was fascinatingly beautiful to see the grasses growing underneath. Fish swam by not even seeming to notice me. I stayed calm determined to not let fear sink in. I poked my head out of the water and our guide pointed down as I put my head back under the water a massive body was right beside me. He slowly swam by and I was in awe at the size of the gentle giant beside me. They weigh about 3,000 pounds. Rio my horse weighs only about 1,200 pounds. He swam away from us so our guide decided it would be best to find a manatee who felt like chilling out with us. If that was my only experience today I still would have been grateful.

  Soon we were back in the water. I was cool as a cucumber and patiently looking and waiting when I felt a presence under me. I looked down and a mammoth manatee swam right under me. I replayed the video in my head. Stay calm, stay still, he knows I am here, he doesn’t want to hurt me. He doesn’t mind being this close to me. I crossed my arms and just let him pass as I nervously watched his graceful body swim quietly underneath me. Once he passed I popped my head out and looked at the guide and said “OH MY GOD” as she assured me I was doing great. Before long we found two friendly manatees. They would swim up right in front of us to take a breath their kind, sweet faces inches from mine. At one point he opened his mouth in front of me and I saw his cute little teeth. One swam so close to me I felt his body touch me. I was elated. It was so beautiful! These giant gentle souls were so hospitable to us. They could swim away if they wanted but they let us just hang out with them! I started to pray and thank Jehovah for this opportunity and for his genius creations and my eyes filled with tears. Then My mask made funny gargling noises and I realized it was from my tears of joy but I didn’t dare take a moment to fix the mask hence I miss a moment with my new friends.

  The real highlight was when we found a mama and her baby. She generously shared her little baby with us. At first I wondered if she would be protective or annoyed with us being so close. She is a protective mother after all, but she didn’t seem to mind. Baby was nursing when we first saw them, she saw us and seemed as curious about us as we were her. She would swim right up to us. I looked right into the eyes of this precious little young one. 

  This was by far the most peaceful, wonderful thing I have ever done in my life. I couldn’t stop saying prayers of appreciation. The shear size of these creatures was awe inspiring. They were like giant elephant swimming puppy dogs. It was magical, a day I will never ever forget. 

Florida …..

Amelia Island is on the north eastern side of Florida. I loved it here and anyone reading this who wants to plan a relaxing beach vacation I would say this is the spot. We checked ourselves into the parking lot of the Ritz Carlton and we decided to go full vacation mode. The Ritz has a lovely pool side restaurant and they didn’t seem to mind at all that we chose the poolside  lounge chairs as our choice of seating. I loved the mango jalapeño margaritas and Jimmie was all about the rum runners. We spent the whole day there, and even stayed for dinner. It is a beautiful hotel and I would highly recommend it.  Although I cannot comment on the rooms,  the parking lot however is not very flat. The next day we booked massages. This was on my bucket list that at least once on this trip we would have a spa experience. With the massage I had full access all day to the eucalyptus steam rooms, sauna , private pools and hot tub with a neck massaging water fall. I was in vacation heaven. I was in and out all day and it was wonderful.

  We walked on the beach looking for shells and shark teeth.  As we were collecting small shells a woman said “Is this yours?” She held held in her hand a perfect very large conch shell. Jimmies eyes about popped out of his head.  We were practically standing on top of it so she thought maybe we just were not holding it or maybe there was something alive in it and thats why we didn’t take it.  It was hers for the taking. Jimmie was besides himself that we were both so busy looking at the small shells we missed the big beautiful one that was right in front of us. We talked about how this is a good illustration for life. Sometimes we get so caught up with the small things in life we fail to see the big beautiful things that are staring us right in the face. 

   We rode horses on the beach, the ultimate vacation treat. Jimmies horse had the best name. Cookie Monster, and Cookie Monster was his spirit animal. He loved to go in the water. Most of the horses tried their best to avoid the waves but Jimmie and his horse kept going in the water and they both had a great time. It was one of my favorite things we have done so far. Another thing I keep thinking is how the best things in life are free. This time on Amelia Island was most definitely not free, in fact we lived a little high on the hog for those few days, but my point is that being with something God provides, whether its animals, a sunset, a sunrise or breathing in the air and holding hands with a strong and handsome old tree, these are the things that always bring the greatest inner satisfaction. I love the variety of nature in this lovely planet we live in.  Rubbing a horses mane and massaging his withers in an attempt to thank him for a safe and satisfying ride was the best part of my day.

  We next visited St Augustine, the oldest city in America.  Our first stop was Ponce Deleon’ fountain of youth. I felt like I was on a field trip. Jimmie loved it, I was bored quickly. Funny how different we are in certain ways. He reminds me of a little kid and loves all the touristy stuff which I find cheesy. I followed him from one cheesy attraction to the next and we giggled as our joke has become ..I will follow you anywhere.  I like following him, it works well. The city itself was very interesting with plenty of old architecture but very touristy. I wish these old cities would get rid of at least some of the souvenir shops and replace them with something more local and artistic.

  On a whim Jimmie decided we were so close to Orlando so we should go. I am not a fan of Disneyland. I loved it when the kids were little. I loved when they would nervously hold my hand on the rides. I  loved watching their faces as they would see Mickey Mouse or other characters. Seeing it through their eyes was terrific. The last time we went Cole was 18 and although I loved treating him to a good time, it wasn’t the same. The other problem is since falling on my head in my first horseback riding accident I am prone to vertigo and dizziness in general so everything made me feel sick. But as I said, I follow Jimmie everywhere, so I decided to see if this time would be different. 

   We decided to visit Epcot as there was a food festival going on. The food was good and not to expensive but they really get you on the drinks. Mickey is a sneaky son of a gun who makes your money magically disappear in his magical place. It started pouring rain so we decided to go into “France” and get a glass of champagne. And when I say pouring I mean torrential down pouring. Jimmie ordered a glass of champagne and I ordered a sampler. They were served in plastic champagne flutes. The smiling Disney shister said that will be fifty nine dollars. .. FIFTY NINE DOLLARS!  We probably should have looked closer before ordering. Okay were in vacation mode. CHA-Ching CHA-Ching,  at least we will be out of the rain. “ Where do we sit?” The Disney employee smiled that sick fake Disney smile and pointed outside. “Are you kidding me”? We just spend fifty nine dollars for two portions of champagne in plastic and we don’t even have a place to sit?!!! We cheated and stood at one of the merchandising tables and set our plastic glasses next to some overpriced, fake, French gifts. We pulled our masks down and swigged our champagne but we were laughing. The 59 bucks suddenly became worth the laugh. 

  Later I saw a cute couple walking with their pre teen son. They all looked like they really loved the funnel cakes if you catch my drift. The father screamed out “ LOOK A PRINCESS!” And the three of them literally took off running. I don’t  think this family runs much in general but they were hauling ass to see a princess. They all wore Mickey Mouse ears and Disney attire. I thought to myself, they do know the princess is not real right? People either love Disney or they really do not. I fall into the latter category. I don’t understand adults walking around in Mickey Mouse ears, but thats just me, no judgement to the Mickey Mouse lovers out there.

  The animal Kingdom we did the next day I really loved. It was probably one of the coolest zoos I have ever been to. Once again the animals were my favorite part. The safari ride was probably the closest I will ever  get to a real African Safari and I really enjoyed it. The rides were awesome but I could not enjoy the two best ones because all I could think about was trying to not puke. We went on the Himalayan roller coaster. I loved the props and decorations they use to make you think you are somewhere else. For some reason I didn’t expect to be on a legitimate roller coaster ride. I was terrified, I screamed bloody murder “I DO NOT LIKE THIS,  I DO NOT LIKE THIS”. When the ride shot me high into the air, with what seemed like a broken track in front of me I wanted to cry. I knew of course It wasn’t broken but it was terrifying none the less, when the solution was to go backwards, all I could do was try to hold back my vomit. I felt sick for a good hour after. The pandora ride which is supposedly the worlds best ride was even worse for me. I am just not a theme park girl. I was glad we only had two days of this and it was time to move on.

   We are on our way now to swim with the manatees. This has been my most looked forward to event. I hope I get to connect with one of these majestic cuddly beauties. 

Southern Hospitality

   We had planned on visiting one of Jimmies work colleagues and friends who moved from Napa to Beaufort South Carolina. The minute I heard Renas voice on the phone conversing with Jimmie I knew I liked her. She was raised in Kentucky and has the cutest southern accent. Her and her husband Tom rolled out the red carpet for us. They insisted we sleep in the guest room which I must say felt like a luxurious hotel. We are used to sleeping in the parking lots of luxurious hotels but it has been a long time since I slept in a king size bed. Reinas hospitality was just so heart warming. She put waters by the bed for us. She had it set up so we could have coffee in bed, even snuck up there and closed the shades for us. I usually protest having to stay with people I don’t know well, but I felt instantly welcomed and warm and cozy with Rena and Tom. 

  Beaufort is one of the prettiest places I have ever been. I can definitely see why people leave California and come here. You can get a larger home for half the price and are surrounded by the ocean, ponds,  warm and  friendly people, beautiful architecture and great food, but my favorite thing is the giant live oak trees that are full of Spanish moss which hangs from them both eerily and elegantly at the same time. The towns are quaint and clean and diverse. Its a lovely place all around. 

  Our friends took us to a very interesting place called the bone yard. It was a area of the beach that a hurricane had hit at some point. It was a fascinating walk along the beach. There was clearly once land here where now the ocean has risen and conquered the land turning it into a graveyard for trees. A broken and crushed old road was no match for the power of the wind and water. The boneyard of ghostly trees was so intriguing. The strength of the trees was seen because many of the lifeless ones still stand strong and tall. The toppled ones were ripped and thrown to the ground leaving their vast root system naked and exposed. The immense power it took to knock even one of these monstrous trees down was unfathomable to me. A reminder of how small we are against the forces of nature. 

  Next we were off to Savannah. I have been wanting to visit Savanah for as long as I can remember. We rode bikes all over the city. I was surprised by how big of a city Savannah is. I had imagined a much quieter small town vibe. To be honest I was a little disappointed but that is probably only because my expectations were so high. I found it to be more commercial than I had hoped for. On a positive note the parks were beautiful. The town is built in squares and each square has these very beautiful  parks with live oak trees, benches and bronze statues. We saw both confederate statues and statues of Indian chiefs. These statues live together more peacefully than people do as a whole today. We rode bikes again and were able to cover everything on our list of things to see in one day. 

 As we rode through one park (the park that was in Forrest Gump) at dark the roaches came out and took over, It was disgusting. I was screaming trying to dodge them on my bike. It was time to go. 

  We ended up sleeping in a rest stop that night like two little hibernating bears. I dreamt of roaches. Jimmie woke up and drove us to Jekyll Island and we watched the sunrise. The air was a little crisp that morning and as I watched the sun slowly rise above the ocean, the first time I had felt a chill in a while and I missed home. 

  Off to Florida…

The wind out of my sails…

   Our last day in Charleston we rode bikes. We have discovered having bikes is just the best asset to traveling in a van. You can see a city in one day on a bike what would take you two days at least walking. You can pedal off the beaten path and see more unusual or local things than you would walking or even on a tour bus. I truly love the architecture in Charleston. Its like stepping back in time.

  We stopped off in a cafe for our morning coffee to utilize some WiFi so Jimmie could catch up on work and I could writes some letters, so because of that we were in the coffee shop quite a while. We couldn’t help but over hear the conversation at the table across the room. A group of older distinguished looking men all sat around sipping their coffee and discussing the removal of a monument. From what I could tell they were all in agreement that this statue should not have been removed. They spoke of the man behind the statue as being one of the country’s greatest leaders. Then I heard one man say something to the effect like he was for the unification of races but why remove a piece of history. Of course my ears were peaked with curiosity. I immediately got on my phone and googled this “great leader” who these old men spoke about with great reverence. A quick google search and the answer was clear as day, he was a confederate soldier, a slave owner who was known to brutally whip three slaves who ran away then wash their backs with brine to secure a more excruciating torture. He was known to have separated all but one of the families working on his plantation. From everything I read this man was the poster child and still is to white supremacy, yet these men felt his statue should be preserved. I was shocked they would speak so openly about this and without any shame at all. It was unfathomable to me in this day and age that it wouldn’t be common sense to get rid of a statue that would cause so much pain and sadness to a huge portion of the population and really should strike grief in all of us. Charleston took a turn for me there in that coffee shop. 

  We left to meet up with our carriage ride history tour. About half way into the tour the guide brought up General Lee, the same man that was talked about in the coffee shop that I had googled. He apparently had  some history in one of the houses. Jimmie stated out loud “oh that’s the guy of the statue they FINALLY took down.”  Sitting in front of us was a group of three women who I assumed was the grandmother, the daughter and the granddaughter. Little granny who was celebrating her 93rd birthday piped in..” Well for us, its not a finally its a UNFORTUNATELY!.” … Jimmie said something  I don’t even recall what. Granny spouted off about how upset “they” all were about its removal and how he was a good man. All I said was “why would anyone want that statue around?” Granddaughter spun around. “ well its UNFORTUNATE it was taken down.” Then granny spouted off “ He is buried under there and now they have to figure out what to do with his body.” “I thought about all his poor slaves that didn’t get a proper burial”.

  Next to Jimmie and I sat a very cute couple in which the girl happened to be black. She said nothing, just sat quietly and I felt so bad for her and wondered how many times did she have to listen to conversations like this and how did it effect her. I felt my heart suddenly pumping so fast I could hear all the blood flowing through my body, it sounded like a river inside of me. The rage I held in turned to tears which flowed down my cheeks like rain. Silent angry tears. At that  moment Charleston had lost all its charm. All I said before the tears choked out any more words was “well,  we are definitely in the south now.” 

  I was  in a funk after that. Ugliness can hide in pretty cities. I had to say lots of prayers that day to find peace in my heart, and to help me put my trust in Gods kingdom which is the only solution for this terrible problem of racism. I have had a hard time writing about all the fun and exciting and beautiful things. I haven’t picked up this journaling for a week. I think I don’t want to write about controversial subjects but this punched me in my gut and I can’t move on to writing about the great things until I express my thoughts about this crappy day. Ive got to keep it real. I can not solve the worlds problems that is for sure. I can only do my best to share the message of hope and love from the Bible that will solve this worlds problems. It is the only real solution. I am so glad I have it…

South Carolina…

   We are trying our best to take the coastal route home. Our first stop was in Myrtle Beach. The city itself left much to be desired. It was very commercial. We didn’t find much character at all, but the beach was beautiful! Miles and miles of white sand. I love being at the beach and even though I am as far away from home as Ive ever been on this trip, being at the ocean feels like home to me. The weather was hot, but not too hot, with a perfect breeze. After I made coffee we decided to walk. Jimmie met a man collecting sharks teeth and he showed us the ropes of how to find them. Jimmie loved that and found about 50 shark teeth. 

  We stopped off in Georgetown which is the third oldest city in South Carolina. Now here I spied that back east character I have been longing to see. It was the most charming town! We had a quick lunch at BIG TUNA. If you ever find yourself in this little town you absolutely have to just go in for a bowl of gumbo and a side of grits. Southern cooking at its finest. 

  We didn’t stay too long because we wanted to get to Charleston. This is the first time on this trip I have met a town and said I could live here. This is the prettiest city I have ever been to in this country. I have never even thought about coming here, now I will tell everyone to make this a top pick for a destination. As soon as we arrived in the French quarter I felt like we were transported to Europe. Old cobble stone streets, brick houses, charming alleys, beautiful estate homes, horse drawn carriages, very old cemeteries with leaning mossy tombstones, everywhere I looked was an architectural feast for my eyes. This is my kind of city! 

  I did some research on where to go for dinner. Slightly North of Broad Restaurant had great reviews and was in an eighteenth century warehouse. When I walked up to get a table there was a live band and the man was singing Louie Armstrong’s, what a wonderful world. This song sings straight to my heart. I love everything about it. I knew this was going to be a good night. When we were in Sweden years ago we went to a very old blues bar with our friends Jarmo and Eila. In Sweden you can bring your kids along with you to bars. They loved getting free cokes all night. The band  had been playing in this same bar for sixty years as I recall. The music was fantastic and we were all having a great time, when suddenly one of the old men, the one with suspenders and a blue shirt and a big jolly belly said “we have a special request from a young man to play his mothers favorite song.” Brock had snuck up there and requested that song for me.” He was about 12 years old at the time, and with a big wide smile came up to me and took my hand to dance. We danced in this crowded Swedish bar, with the music just embracing us as we swayed around in circles. All the Swedes kept saying “Oh how cute!” They were all smitten by this cute boy with the sandy  blond curls, big brown eyes, with the longest batwing eyelashes in the world. It was a moment in time I will never forget and that song is the most dear song to me.  

     The food was amazing.  We were told that Charleston is a lot of “old money.” That wasn’t hard to figure out judging by the mansions in the area, but for some reason we never thought to change before dinner.  Jimmie rolled in wearing  swim trunks, a Santa Cruz t-shirt and Birkenstock’s. I wasn’t much better in my denim shorts and spaghetti strap top. As we sat down we noticed everyone was dressed so posh for a night out. White collared shirts, pearls, high heels, and there we were, two hippies who rolled out of our van and into the fancy restaurant.  Fortunately the staff didn’t seem to mind and were genuinely showing us that southern hospitality. We sat at a counter where we could watch the kitchen staff hustling away. We ordered the most delicious steamed clams we have ever had. We ended up asking to take the leftover clam sauce. The waitress was so kind and gave us extra because we loved it so much.  We figured a loaf of bread and that delicious sauce would make a great meal on the road. I was shocked the amount of full glasses of wine and champagne the wait staff would clear from empty tables. Full glasses by the handfuls were dumped out and I couldn’t help but wonder if that is an old money thing to order champagne or wine and then not drink it. Is that a status symbol for the wealthy? The price you pay for wine by the glass that just seemed like alcohol abuse to me. I had to laugh as we walked out so tickled over our clam juice leftovers and the people with  the stiff collars and pearls who order wine they don’t drink watching us go by in our shorts and sandals. We didn’t even have any clams left, we ate them, but we had a plastic bowl of the juice and we wouldn’t leave it! We are most definitely not “old money.” 

  We found a genuine Irish pub with live music. We sat next to a old couple from California. She had this crazy curly grey hair and a warm inviting smile. She was very chatty and wanted to visit. She was pretty adorable and we had a nice conversation, but her husband didn’t make my friendship cut.  He was a dentist so he was a “educated” man, you would expect him to be sophisticated, but  the conversation showed the opposite to be true. Actually she was great but she told me way more information about them as a young couple than I cared to hear about and by the comments he made he just struck me as a dirty old man. I can be friends with just about anyone. I am not intimidated by wealth or poverty, but I like class and they were proof you can have money and no class and my friend Jay from Tulsa was proof you can have no scoots at all and still have class. 

  I’m sitting in the van as I write this. Jimmie is surfing and its been storming and raining. He has already made two friends in the water and brought them to me to make coffee for. Five weeks I have been living in this van and it just reminds me of how little we all really need. I have been so comfortable and happy living in this little van with my best friend.

  Whenever this rain lets up well head back into the city for more exploring.

Life as a Grimes….

    As we drove to the outer banks of North Carolina We were intrigued by the many abandoned cabins and old homes. I would have loved to have explored them but after Jimmies brother Jeff told me the many stories of poisonous reptiles and the abundance of blood sucking insects I was not about to step foot into them.  North Carolina is a very green, beautiful place. People are friendly and warm.

  As we were driving we passed a flume of smoke. Jimmie said “that is a fire!” I said “well i think its a burn pile. They do that here.”  “NO! I saw a house on fire.. “ I was sure it was a burn pile and I assumed if a house was on fire right beside a crowded highway someone would have called by now but Jimmie was dead set on turning around to investigate. He dialed 911, no one had reported a fire. It sounded very serious. He was sure he saw a house burning but I was in the back ground saying “ I think its a burn pile.”  Soon Fire and Ambulance arrived on the seen but a few homes away so Jimmie assumed the role of traffic director and was in the middle of the highway pointing “HERE! HERE!” … The fireman sauntered slowly out of the truck, meanwhile the traffic at this point was backed up for miles. I could tell by the way the firemen moved they were not that concerned.  Jimmie ran across the highway back to our van. I said “lets get out of here quick before they try to charge us for the 911 call” 

 It is true if you see smoke in  California especially these last few years you better call for help and run. I bet you those fireman had a good laugh or were annoyed, I am not sure which one by the Californians who caused such a ruckus over a burn pile. 

   Another thing about Jimmie is although he is very generous he is also very cheap. We stayed at a campground with Jeffs family that had a vacuum so we decided to clean up the van. He pulled out two quarters. Instantly I was like,  has he not paid to vacuum a car in that long?   I gently tried to tell him more quarters were needed, He was rather annoyed that the machine didn’t tell him exactly how much he had to put in and he was very concerned he had put in two quarters already and the fear was building in him that perhaps this machine would steal two quarters or… oh my god.. the whole two dollars. Apprehensively he put in the whole two dollars and no surprise to me the vacuum turned on. It was hysterical to watch him move so fast. He bounced around that van like a ninja. Heaven forbid we have to put in more quarters. 

  When we traveled through Europe for two months one of the biggest fights we had was over liquid soap. We stayed in  campgrounds for two months that had little mobile trailer homes to sleep in. I had to clean it every time we left and the bar soap made a big slimy mess, so I made the executive choice to invest in liquid soap. He protested, claiming the bar soap was so much more economical. I argued if we can afford to travel with three kids through Europe for two months we certainly can afford three euros for liquid soap. I won that fight. 

  Actually we don’t really fight anymore. We had one day that was a little rough on this trip, but we quickly worked it out. Not bad for living together in such small quarters. We are five weeks in and I am still amazed how good we do together. We both have our things we get annoyed at, but in thirty years we have learned to work through. It has taken time, but praying really works. For instance when I want to choke him or push him out of the van I pray fervently and I am sure he does the same. We have learned to love each other through our strengths and weaknesses. 

  At one point I went along on one of his adventures and he looked at me and said “ you will follow me anywhere wont you?”  “Yep” was my answer. 

  Another thing I find funny about Jimmie is he is a bit socially unaware at restaurants. He often doesn’t read the menu then asks the waiter fifty questions about what’s on the menu. He is so friendly and makes friends, always and wherever he goes but he doesn’t really realize waiters also have to visit and take care of other people. One night at dinner he looked at me and announced “ I think I would be a good waiter and it would be so fun”.  I had to laugh. “ You most certainly would be the worst waiter ever”. “ Why ?” He asked. “because you would get so carried away conversing with whatever friendly or interesting guest caught your attention your other customers would starve to death waiting for you!” He laughed and had to agree. There is almost nothing that I would say Jimmie is incapable of.  Waiting tables is about the only thing. After having that conversation, we paid the bill and were leaving, when we passed another table and our new friend the waiter was there,  taking orders. Jimmie interrupted to give him a proper high five and thank him for the fifth time for the great service and friendly conversation. The stuffy people sitting at the table looked confused by this friendly interruption. I giggled to myself, totally in love with this friendly husband of mine. 

  The beaches on the outer banks were wonderful. Miles and miles of white sand. The weather was perfect and the water was clear warm and gentle enough for even me to play in it. We are having a great time with Jeff and his family. They have two kids. Six year old Gunner is a genius child who has the vocabulary of a professor. He talks non stop and asks questions constantly because he is always thinking and learning. Yesterday at the beach he was playing with some other kids but when they started ripping the heads off the fish. Gunner came unglued and rightfully so. He tried saving the fish but got shooed away. He cried hysterically shocked by the unnecessary slaughter of the helpless fish. I was impressed. Not only is this little boy extremely smart, more importantly he is kind.  Thora the little girl is barely two and she is the happiest most pleasant baby. She keeps her parents busy because she is a fearless explorer and constantly on the move. It has been so nice spending time with them. 

   I was told I need to report this story to give a more rounded view of my perceptions. Jimmie often accuses me of exaggerating or embellishing stories. We were in the ocean, which is a place I never play. I’m afraid of the waves. Growing up on the Oregon coast sneaker waves often attack people and pull them into the sea, never to be seen again. Now again this is the story I have always told him which may be, in his mind exaggerated in my mind its my perception. The Oregon coast can be very treacherous. The beaches in North Carolina were so perfect. Even the water was perfect for me. I could actually play in the waves. As I was bragging about the calmness of the ocean here Jimmie decided to convince me these waves were no bigger than the waves the last time I attempted to surf. I disagreed. No those were ten foot waves you had me in!! “They most certainly were not!” he argued. My evidence was the fact that these waves were not knocking me over. Just as I went to say that a big wave came behind me. While the words were still coming out of my mouth “ these waves are definitely smaller because they can’t knock me…..o…v…e…r…!”  BAM just like that I was knocked off my feet and toppling around in the surf like a drowning rat. He won that argument. 

   Another annoying thing is Jimmie has developed an annoying tick of spitting. He spits so much he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it. I have noticed this disturbing habit always kicks up when he perceives he has been exposed to something gross. For instance he always goes into a spitting fit after emptying the septic tank. I appreciate that he handles that job. If he walks by and someone is coughing, he starts spitting. If he smells something bad he starts spitting. I find it very annoying and I try to get him to stop. After swimming in the ocean we went hand in hand for a walk on the beach. How romantic! But then the spitting started. I said “Jim STOP!” He said he saw chicken bones in the ocean near him, and it was stuck in his head that those bones came from someone’s mouth and floated near him potentially contaminating the inside of his mouth and the only thing his brain could do was spit it out. I had to laugh. I overthink all of the time too but that’s a whole other story. 

   Off today for more beach exploring!! Hoping to find some surf for Jimmie. We have officially driven coast to coast now!!    Charleston South Carolina here we come. 

Asheville to North Carolina

   We pulled into the art district of Asheville ready for some city vibes and southern cooking. We took a few wrong turns and ended up in a really rough part of town. As we sat at a stop sign  trying to navigate  to where we needed to go, a rather unsavory looking character approached our car. I wasn’t sure if he needed something or what but Jimmie decided to smile and drive off. It was a good choice because as we drove off he reached over to the back of the van and tried to see what he could grab. Needless to say after that we wanted to make sure we slept in a safe place.   

  I have had a bucket list thing for this trip and that is to do a really nice spa day. I found the most beautiful spa online. It was at a hotel so after dinner we decided to drive up there and check it out. The spa was closed but the pine grove hotel was gorgeous!!!  It was an enormous estate. We found parking and went in. The bar was open so we cozied up in front of the massive fire place for a glass of wine. I love people watching. The lounge was full of very yuppie looking men in their white collared shirts sipping their whiskey.  I looked over and the two ladies next to me looked like two southern bells out of the TV Show Dallas. The one lady caught me staring and I turned away. I am always curious about people. A few minutes later we asked them if they would mind taking a picture of us. That struck up a conversation. Now to look at these ladies you would think they would be the stuffy snobby type. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Once we got chatting they were hilarious and full of stories and as warm and friendly as can be. Jimmie asked what it is they do for work. The one lady put her head down and whispered she was a cotton farmer from Mississippi. Jimmie promptly asked why she replied so sheepishly and she acknowledged that to be a cotton farmer in the south comes with some stigma. I did a little reading on the history of cotton farms in Mississippi and it wasn’t pretty. I know nothing about cotton so we asked lots of questions, It was fascinating and I imagine the farms must be very beautiful. Thankfully now they have machines to harvest the cotton. Valerie and Trudy told us all about life growing up on the farm. Trudy still lives the farm life and raised her kids on the farm. She told us what it was like raising hogs. Disgusting!! In her southern accent she had us in stitches telling us stories about the hogs and cows and six year olds driving trucks across the property.  They were lovely ladies and we enjoyed them. I thought about the fact how weird the world is right now. None of us can control how we are born or the life we are born into. 

  We weren’t about to fork over the money to stay in this posh hotel, I can barely get Jimmie to spring for a camp sight half the time. We walked out of the ritzy hotel to the parking lot, closed up the windows and went right to sleep. We felt safe and sound parked high on the hill. We only stay at the finest hotels. 

  The next day we toured the Biltmore estate. Wow!! It was a legit castle. At least when it was built it was the largest house in America. More than a century ago George Vanderbilt built this amazing estate on over 8,000 acres to entertain friends. The library was incredible. He was an avid reader who loved to travel. He kept a journal of all the books he read since he was 12 years old. The library had about 23,000 books.  By the time he died he had read over 3,000 books. His wife was only 25 years old when she married him. Imagine her coming to this house for the first time!  She apparently was a nice lady who took great pleasure in treating all the staff well and was known to bring gifts to them when someone was sick or a baby was born. Again she couldn’t help being born on the uppity side of town but it sounds like she made the choice to not lord it over others but chose kindness instead. It took nearly three hours to go through the house. It was interesting and beautiful. After seeing the house you drive over to the farm where they now have a winery. Theres a little village with shops and restaurants and I loved seeing the farm animals. There was another very  fancy pants hotel by the farm with a lovely restaurant. We had a wonderful dinner and then went outside to enjoy the views and play a game of corn hole. We met a great couple from New Jersey and they joined us. They were so sweet and fun, At first he didn’t want to play but soon he was really into it. The game became very serious. When Jimmie offered to get a bottle of wine to share with them he looked confused when Jimmie went out the front door (our room after all was in the parking lot). Later they told us one of their friends had drowned in the floods from the hurricane. They had just found out and were sitting there bummed out before we walked up and dragged them into a game of corn hole.  They were so nice, and just a few of the many people we have made friends with, exchanged numbers  and invited to come see us in California. The many people we meet are really making this trip. From our sweet friend Jay who is homeless right down  to our high fluting southern bells and everything in between, people when they choose to be are .. wonderful… 

  We drove to Jimmies brothers house in Roxboro. It was a beautiful drive and now we are following them to the outer banks of North Carolina. We are enjoying being with their cute kids Gunner  and Thora. In one hour when we arrive at the beach we have officially driven coast to coast. Then we head south and begin the journey slowly home.  I am sure well make new friends on the way.

The smoky mountains…..

   It was an easy drive to Gatlinburg the gateway to the smoky mountains. Again I didn’t really have any expectations. Its a place I never thought much about. We were told this is the most visited national park in America. As we pulled into Gatlinburg we were shocked to find a mini kid version of Vegas. The town was clearly designed with kids in mind. Every corner had some version of pee wee golf. There was the largest Ripley’s believe it or not museum I have ever seen. Roller coasters, theme dinner shows, candy shops and arcades as far as the eye could see. Our kids would have flipped their lids if we would have brought them here when they were little. I wish I would have known about this then and I definitely would recommend it as a great place for a family vacation. We ended up playing a few rounds of competitive pee wee golf and an aggressive game of laser tag. It started raining on us, our first drops of  what was left of hurricane Ida.

   The next day we ventured into the park. We stopped at the visitors center and picked up a documentary of the history of the place which we listened to as we drove on.  Cascading waterfalls, A huge diversity of plants and   trees, some wrapped  in vines made it a very scenic drive. The day was cloudy and cooler which was so refreshing after being in that miserable hot weather.  We learned about the early settlers who settled in Cades cove, which was cleared into a beautiful meadow area that was used by the pioneers for farming. The first people who came to Cades cove almost died of starvation the first winter, but one night as the husband was off hunting the lady of the house heard noises outside which she thought was a wild animal. Turns out some of the Cherokee Indians had seen their plight and brought them several dried pumpkins which sustained them through the winter. 

  At one point the Cades Cove had grown to a town of 700 people. These were some hardy people to say the least. Many of the homes and buildings  that were built by the people are now part of the state park and you are free to explore them. Its amazing to think what these industrious people accomplished. They had to cut the trees down with an axe then make lumber out of the trees. Sometimes I complain when I have to drive to Home Depot and load some lumber in the back of my truck. 

  The land was beautiful and provided plenty of food from wild game, berries and the fertile soil which they planted all sorts of vegetables and fruit.  I imagine even though, they worked very hard, they enjoyed a nice life. I was fascinated by the hinges on the doors of the barns.They hand carved everything and were so cleverly designed. We saw a picture of two women who would pick their own cotton, give their sheep haircuts then spin it into fabrics which they sewed into clothes for the towns people. If I were ever taken by force into a time machine and cast into 1820 and expected to use axes to build a house or plant cotton and sheer sheep to make clothes I’d be homeless and naked. 

  As we traveled across into North Carolina We stopped and did a hike on part of the Appalachian trail. We listened to another documentary about a guy who hiked all 2,160 miles of it. The determination of some people really impresses me. In the town of Cherokee we visited the museum. Again I was saddened by how ugly humans can treat each other. As I bought my sticker in the gift shop I felt like I needed to apologize for being white.

  Being in the  smoky mountains was a perfect  time to sit back and reflect and be thankful for the magnificent planet we have been entrusted to care for.

  I like bouncing back and forth between cities and nature. We have lived in both but I have discovered I am more of a city person. We tried “ farming” a time or two, but were epic farm failures. We moved to Washoe Valley when the kids were small into a house on a few acres. There was a horse barn and a chicken coop so we promptly bought a bunch of chickens and a few horses. We probably didn’t keep our chicken house as clean as we should have so, we soon had hoards of mice living under the chicken house. Jimmie and his buddy Zac had a hoot of a time shooting mice one night. They filled buckets and had a competition to see who killed the most. We had a really nasty Rooster that Tristan had named Eagle. It was a vile bird. Every time I would collect the eggs it would savagely attack me. I would go into the hen house with a silver garbage can lid and use it as a shield. My heart would be racing as I’d gather eggs with one hand and fight off Eagle with the other hand. Tristan would go in with a foot ball helmet on his head and sit quietly and patiently and wait for eagle to come to him. He would then pet the evil rooster gently. He was the rooster whisperer. 

  One day I was working outside and I heard Cole screaming bloody murder. He was about two years old. I came around the corner and that horrible bird had him down on the ground and was spurring him with his talons and pecking his head.  I screamed and kicked the bird off of Cole. He was bleeding profusely all over his head and face. I am not a person who handles emergencies well. I go into complete panic mode every time. I scooped Cole up and screaming I ran to find Jimmie. As Jimmie washed the blood off his little head he looked at me and said “ you need to kill that rooster”. In complete panic mode I ran outside eager to seek vengeance on the ruthless bird who attacked my baby. Eagle saw me running after him and he took one look at me and knew I meant business. Instead of running towards me to attack as he usually did he took off like a bat out of hell across the lawn. I chased that bad bird down and grabbed him by the neck intent on ringing its neck the way my mama did when I was a kid. My hands around his throat, I tried to “wring”. I was “wringing and wringing “ but his head wasn’t coming loose the way it was supposed to. Now by this time me and Eagle were looking each other in the eye and I knew if I gave up  he was going straight for my eyeballs . It was my eyeballs or his life. I just couldn’t make it work the way I thought. After what seemed like hours of me dancing around the yard with him in in my hand swinging him around like I was a cheer leader with a Pom Pom I was realizing I clearly have no clue how to wring a chickens neck. In fact I have never killed anything bigger than a spider. Out of options I looked over and saw the fence. Eagle, say your prayers, your going down. I beat that rooster on the fence until I was convinced he was not going to take my eyeball or hurt my babies again. The deed was done and Eagle lay dead. Tristan was so upset and I felt really bad about it.

  A few years later we were living in Grass Valley California on five acres. Ticks and lime disease were a constant threat so Jimmie came up with the brilliant idea to order 30 guinea hens. Supposedly they eat ticks. Unfortunately when the box of hens arrived at the post office he was gone and entrusted their care to me. Whatever happens “ Don’t kill them!” Were his last words to me as he left town. Now I am a working mother of three, I am really not stoked about caring for 30 little birds. It was summer so it was warm outside. I knew from from past experience you need to put a light on baby chicks to keep them warm. We learned the hard way not to put the light to close. We once did that and awoke to the smell of rotisserie baby chickens. I figured since it was a hot summer and I didn’t want to cook them they probably didn’t need the light.  The next morning me and Momika my dearest friend who we rented the house from went  to have our coffee down by the pond. We stopped off to check on the chicks.  I let out a small scream and when I opened the door it seemed half of them were dead! A few had drowned in the water dish that I filled for them. I didn’t see that coming. Some appeared to be already dead and many were deliriously stumbling around knocking on deaths door. Apparently I needed the light.  With a sad heart I took a few of the dead ones and tossed them out in the bushes. Momika with her optimistic spirit said in her cute Swedish accent .. “ Oh honey maybe they are not dead, maybe they just need to warm up” I thought that seemed ridiculously optimistic as to me they looked mostly dead but I figured what have I got to loose. I took a little bird out in the sun and rubbed it in my hands. It kinda worked! Once I got them warmed up it was like a guinea hen resurrection! Momika’s optimism worked. I tried not to think about the poor few saps I tossed in the bushes. All in all out of 30 I think 8 survived. We ended up raising them in the house after that. The boys took great care of them and they became their pets. My mom was visiting and we agreed the boys bedroom was starting to smell like a chicken coop and it was time to move the birds outside. She being the Oregon mountain woman seemed to know what she was doing. She hoisted the cage up high on a pole outside of the coop to keep them separated from the other chickens and safe from predators. 

  The next morning I heard the most awful blood curdling screams from the boys. They went to check on their friends. In the night something like a skunk or raccoon had climbed up the side of the barn. I don’t know how they managed it but they ate the heads clear off of three of them! One seemed to die of a heart attack and laid there in the middle, untouched but dead as a door knob. Two little hens were in the middle of the cage shaking in fear. It was awful. We have committed chicken atrocities and have decided farm life is not good for us or the poor creatures in our care.

   As beautiful as all the places we have seen are, theres no place like home. I love our little house in the city of Santa Cruz. I’m home sick but theres more to see… 

  North Carolina here we come….. 

Nashville…

   Nashville was our first real destination in the sense that it felt like a far away place, that we always wanted to visit but have never been.We have been to Colorado and Utah and they felt nice and cozy and close to home. Everywhere else was just on the path to our destination east. Nashville is the first of those destinations. I am just starting to get home sick. I miss my kids. I miss the dogs. I miss my bed. I really miss our moderate climate, but were in too deep now, theres no sense in turning back, now begins the journey to the southern east coast.

   We found a KOA campground just outside of Nashville that has a convenient shuttle to the downtown area. We arrived on Friday so we figured we would have no trouble finding some great music. I am not sure why, but I always imagined Nashville as a relatively small city, quaint, with a few country bars maybe a little like New Orleans.   It was quite a shock to me when I stepped off the bus. The sensory overload was no joke. Tall buildings, flashing lights, honkey Tonk bars everywhere you looked, music screaming from all of them, people everywhere. If it wasn’t the music from the bars it was the music from the party trucks people reserve. People and lights and deafening sound everywhere!!! At first I stood there a little dazed and confused.

   As we wandered up the street you could listen in the open windows for a few minutes and decide if you like the music enough to go in and get a drink. There really was no bad music. It was all great. I was glad when Jimmie decided on a place and we could get a cold beer and sit down. He was definitely in his happy place. We listened to a great band at Alan Jacksons bar. The singer was a young kid with a great manly voice and he seemed to know every song that was requested. I was hoping he would sing Alan Jacksons song Remember when … its one of my favorites and I feel like its “our” song and since it was our 30 year anniversary I hoped we could dance to it. But no luck , we never heard it. 

  Music is such a powerful thing. It stirs up so much emotion and although I possess not an ounce of musical talent I sure appreciate those who do.  Another band we were listening to played the song “live like you were dying” .. suddenly my eyes were filled with tears. I couldn’t help but think of my brother Dave and how he loved his motorcycle rides. He died last summer and I am still trying to process that. The lyrics go like this…

I went sky diving

I went Rocky Mountain climbing

I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu

And I loved deeper 

And I spoke sweeter 

And I gave forgiveness Ive bee denying

And he said some day I hope you get the chance

To live like you were dying…

   My brother didn’t get to do all those things, but I think he did the best he could  with the circumstances he had.  He loved riding his motorcycle and a memory I will always carry with me is him taking me for a ride down west cliff drive in Santa Cruz  blaring his favorite music. I loved that David used to come see Rio my horse with me. A few times he took me there on his bike and patiently waited for me while I did my barn chores. He loved horses and riding also. As a kid he was the best big brother any little girl could ask for. I have the best memories of him taking me to catch my first fish, toting me around to the teenage parties,  carrying me on his shoulders, buying me ice cream. Through my teen years he was always there for me. Always loving and generous. I loved him dearly. His life was difficult. He wasn’t the same person at the end, but he did the best he could. My heart still physically hurts when I think about him or the terrible way cancer ate away at him, at the pain in his broken heart from the hurt in his life. I try not to think about it, but grief is a funny thing and sometimes it just unexpectedly gets you when your least expecting it, like in a crowded honkey tonk bar in Nashville. 

  People watching in Nashville is a recreation in itself.  This must be the bachelorette party capitol of the world.  I have to say, Nashville is really a place to come with friends. I was really missing my girl friends. The girls are the ones who really have fun in Nashville. When you see the party busses go by the girls are dancing and hooting and hollering and waving to everyone. The men on the busses just stand there just trying their best to look cool. There is no shortage of lively characters in Nashville. 

   We met the nicest couple at the campground on Sunday. Making new friends while traveling always creates the fondest memories. They invited us to join them that night with the other couple they were with to do an escape room and listen to some blues. I still feel the same about the escape rooms. Jimmie loves them, I couldn’t escape if my life depended on it. We had a great time with them and it was so nice to be in the company of others. We ended up singing Karaoke. So I guess I blew my theory that you can’t find bad music in Nashville. It was a Sunday night and we had the place to ourselves. Thank Goodness Shannon our new friend had a beautiful voice so she was our saving grace otherwise they may have kicked us out especially when I gave my best at singing a Lauren Hill song. I threw some bad dance moves in for good measure. As we left the Karoke and walked back down stairs the band was playing my Alan Jackson song Remember when…!!!  The lyrics start out as

 Remember when, I was young, and so were you

And time stood still, and love was all we knew

You were the first so was I

We made love and then you cried

Remember when

Remember when, we vowed the vows,  and walked the walk

Gave our hearts, made the start, it was hard

We lived and learned, life through us curves 

There was Joy, there was hurt

Remember when ……

   We couldn’t believe the timing!! We grabbed each other and danced. There was that music stirring up emotion again, but this time it was happy, thankful, romantic.  We had the world to ourselves at that moment just Alan Jackson and us. What a way to end our last night in Nashville. 

  The next morning I ordered some breakfast at the campground cafe. The gentlemen asked me “ Where are you from young lady?”   

“California”. 

“Well that is a shame, I am sorry..”.  

I said “you are the third person to tell me that.. why does everyone keep saying that?”

  He started in on a political rant about The governor and masks and shut downs and how California is on fire and why have we not built plants that take the water from ocean to put out the fires and the topper was… California is working to ban pork… I have not heard that one…what will we all do without Bacon? 

“ Well its a crying  shame you are so busy making my pancakes at the campground when you have solved so many global issues, they really should make you governor so it seems!”   …

Well  that is what I said in my mind anyway. I smiled. 

”Well I am sorry you feel that way. 

”I took my coffee and pancakes and when I knew I was clear out of sight I think my eyes rolled out of my head.  

   To the smoky mountains we go…. I have no idea what to expect, but looking forward to more nature and peace and quiet.